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26

Aug, 2016

8U CPYL Monster Bats “One Team-One Dream” 2016 World Series Champions

8U CPYL Monster Bats
“One Team-One Dream”
2016 World Series Champions

On July 16th, 2016 the 8U CPYL (Cedar Park Youth League) Monster Bats finished off an amazing season by winning the Pony League World Series Championship Title in Youngsville, Louisiana. They finished their season with a remarkable 31-0 record, going undefeated through the season and World Series. The road was a very successful one for the team, but came with tremendous work and determination from the twelve young ladies and coaching staff who came together this summer to unite as ONE TEAM.

The journey, for most, began on the softball fields of CPYL, where they grew up together, and had been playing with or against each other for years. After the conclusion of the 2016 Spring Season, 12 ball players were carefully selected by the five Team Managers to represent CPYL as the 8U All-Star Team.

The final roster included:

#33 Ciana “Stir-Fry” Arguijo - SS
#88 Madelyn “Leroy” Lee - 2nd
#9 Reagan “Little Rae-Rae” Keeling - RF
#42 Addison “Stretch” Shifflett - 1st
#4 Grace “A.D.G” Slaughter - 3rd
#5 Shelby “Shelby Island” Broderick - LC
#1 Haley “Fuego” Garcia - RC
#45 Delaney “DD” Vannoy - C
#21 Jaslyn “J-Rex” Dobbins - P
#77 Alivia “Hammer” Robinson - C
#00 Renee “Nae-Nae” Stemmons - LF
#26 Isabelle “IZZY” Kriegh - LF

Team Manager: Anthony Arguijo
Assistant Coach: Bobby Lee
Assistant Coach: Rodney Garcia
Assistant Coach: Charles Dobbins
Assistant Coach: Trent Shifflett
Assistant Coach: Tommy Keeling
Assistant Coach: Tim Robinson

The Monster Bats kicked off the All-Stars season with three, two-hour practices per week, along with scrimmages & team meetings. The girls on the team, along with parents, siblings, and extended families very quickly began to bond and become more like a family than a team.

It was then a collaborative idea that the twelve very talented and ambitious girls would be considered ONE. The traditional last names on the backs of their jerseys were replaced simply by the word “ONE.”
This mentality quickly spread throughout the team; on the field & off the field, the twelve girls always operated as one Team, one heartbeat.

On the field, the girls broke records and dominated teams with their “Monster Bats” and most of all, their ferocious defense! Throughout the season, the girls executed 7 rundowns for outs and shut teams down, securing the win by “Run Rule” fashion in 28 of 31 games!

Off the field, the team was responsible for fundraising all of the money they would need to fund the season; tournament fees, umpire fees, uniform expenses, travelling expenses, food & snacks for the girls, etc. The “ONE TEAM” concept kept going, with the parents and families putting this together and making everything happen. They all pulled together to fundraise and gather sponsorships as if they had been doing it together for years. By the end of the short season, the Monster Bats worked hard to raise $14,000 through fundraising and sponsorships.

By the first warm-up tournament in Round Rock, Texas on June 3rd-5th, everyone was ready to see all the hard work and effort pay off on the field. The Monster Bats went undefeated to take the Championship for their first ever as ONE.

The Austin Sectionals took place the following weekend (June 10th-12th), where the Monster Bats took the Championship Title, again, undefeated! During the tournament, Renee Stemmons had a game changing, over the fence home run against Balcones North Express & Delaney Vannoy hit an out-of-the-park Grand Slam Home Run, which put the Monster Bats into the final four! Isabelle Kriegh had an amazing catch in left field to turn the championship game around & contributed greatly to the 123 extra bases stolen throughout the season.

The Georgetown warm-up tournament took place the very next weekend (June 17th-19th), and the Monster Bats took the Championship Title, undefeated yet again.

The last qualifying Tournament before the World Series was the Central Texas Regionals, which took place the weekend of June 24th-26th. The girls took home their fourth straight Championship Title that weekend, undefeated still!

The week of July 10th, the Monster Bats headed off to Youngsville, Louisiana, where they would play in the 2016 PONY 8U World Series. By this time, the team had been together the past six weeks and the camaraderie was like no other. The girls were no longer a team, they were a clan of sisters who loved and trusted each other no matter the situation. Families became best of friends, and the team, as one, came together and worked as a machine inside the diamond & out.

The Monster Bats completed their pool games in the World Series, dominating all three, in turn, securing the top seed in the bracket of 23 total teams. The excitement began, however, with the bracket play. Against their first fierce opponent, Texas Blasters, Jaslyn Dobbins put a quick end to the game with three outs in one inning at pitcher to advance to the final four. In the semifinals, Alivia Robinson hit a game changing Grand Slam, which turned the tide for the win. Shelby Broderick also made three fly-outs in the semifinals game against the tough Manchaca Thunderstix, and led the outfield in fly-outs on the season, with a total of 17, which is where she was given her nickname, “Shelby Island.”

Still undefeated, The CPYL Monster Bats advanced to the Championship Title Game against CAYL (Central Austin Youth League) Legends. The Monster Bats played a competitive game, and came out on top after Haley Garcia’s back breaking catch in right center! The girls ended up winning the Championship Game 9-7, going undefeated & outscoring their opponents 109-15.

Winning the World Series was a dream which turned into a reality for this team of ONE on July 16th, 2016. The Monster Bats finished off the season by becoming the first 8U Softball team to go undefeated throughout the entire All-Star Season… What an accomplishment!

The Monster Bats will forever be remembered as a dominating defensive team, but are noted also on their aggressive base running and high powered offense. Madelyn Lee finished off the season, leading in singles, with 28. Addison Shifflett led the team in doubles with 21. Grace Slaughter led the team in triples with 10, and Ciana Arguijo led the team in Home Runs with 15. Reagan Keeling, the youngest of the team (7 years), had a total of 53 hits for the season, third highest on the team! After the conclusion of the Championship Game and Trophy Ceremony, Grace Slaughter was awarded the 2016 Pony All-Star MVP, and her jersey was taken to put on display at the National Headquarters in Washington, PA.

The accomplishments & growing talents of these twelve young ladies will never go unforgotten or unnoticed by any who were able to watch them compete. Their love and drive for the game is unlike any other, and comes with enormous determination to get better every day.

Winning a World Series Championship Title was the ONE DREAM—ONE GOAL for this ONE TEAM. By pulling together as one, they accomplished that dream and will forever hold the memory near to their hearts. In the summer of 2016, they gained not another trophy, medal, or title, but rather, they gained a new family… The CPYL Monster Bats family.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 8U CPYL MONSTER BATS!

Submitted by : Anthony Arguijo